North and South

Korea

• North and South Korea occupy the Korean Peninsula

• North Korea is very mountainous

• South Korea has much more farmland than the North

North and South Korea at night

Korea• Came under dominance of

China around 100 BCE

• Copied much of Chinese culture including Confucianism, Buddhism, and writing

• The Kingdom of the Silla controlled the peninsula for hundreds of years

• The Yi dynasty lasted from 1392 - 1910

Korea

• Korea was annexed by Japan in 1910 and remained under Japanese control until the end of WWII

• The Japanese in the North were disarmed by the Soviets and in the South by the US

Japanese soldiers being disarmed by Americans in South Korea after WWII

Korea

• In North Korea, the Soviets established a communist government and army

• The US did very little to build up the South

• In 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea starting the Korean War

Korea

• The Korean War pitted North Korean and Communist Chinese troops against UN troops led by US

• The war ended in stalemate and a cease-fire that exists to this day

US and North Korean officers face-to-face at Panmunjeom

South Korea• South Korea has

developed a democratic government

• It is one of the “Asian Tigers” – strong, high tech economy

• The capital and biggest city is Seoul

• Allied with the US – US soldiers maintain a presence in South Korea

Seoul at Night

North Korea• North Korea is considered

communist but is really a dictatorship (dynastic)

• North Korea is poor and backward

• The army is the 4th largest in the world

• The North operates many labor camps for political enemies

• Possesses nuclear weapons

Kim Il Sung – “Eternal Leader”

Kim Jong-il – “Eternal Chairman”

Kim Jong-un